Past Tense
by fozzybear67
Summary: I have decided to rewrite JAG starting with season 6 - Past Tense. The first two seasons are fairly close to the originals. Have fun, hold on tight, cause it's going to be a long and bumpy ride...
1. Chapter 1

**SIXTH SEASON**

**PAST TENSE**

Author's Note:

Mac is due to marry Commander (Mic) Michael Brumby. As the wedding closes in Mac is beginning to have second thoughts. I decided to start with Season Six-Lifeline, because it's here that we start to see the relationship between Renee and Harm start to unravel. I thought here would be a perfect time to start working on getting the 'Video Princess' out of the way.

Disclaimer: I do not own the JAG characters nor do I receive any money for doing this.

**Part 1**

2231 Local Time

North of Union Station

Washington DC

Renee and Harm walk into Harm's apartment after obviously being out on a date. First, he opens the door and then he reaches around the corner to flip on the lights. Renee walks in after and deposits her coat on the back of the couch.

"Well, I thought you liked Likerssini's." Harm said, referring to his go-to restaurant when it came to planning 'date night' with Renee.

"I did." Renee said as she moved away from the living area and headed towards the kitchen. "It's just that we always go to dinner. We haven't gone to a movie in ages."

Harm, with his back to Renee, let out an inwardly groan. His creativity or lack thereof, when it came to date night with Renee, was not something that he wanted to discuss. "Any particular movie in mind?" He asked, wondering what movie she'd come up to torture him with this time.

"Yeah. You know the one with what's his name and the actress with the sibilant 'S'?"

He didn't have a clue as to what movie she was talking about, "Wow that's scary." He said sarcastically

"No, it's a comedy." Renee went on totally missing the point.

"No, it was scary because I knew exactly what movie you were talking about." Harm said. It was about this time that time that Renee began to pick up on Harm's sarcasm.

"Ha ha ha…." She said, as she dug through her purse looking for God knows what.

Harm was hoping that it wasn't condoms because the last thing he wanted was for her to spend the night at his place. When that happened it usually ended with the two of them in bed and that part of their relationship had become more and more like a chore and less like something that should have been spontaneous and fun. Now if a certain Marine where here….Harm walked over to the answering machine and hit the play button hoping that whoever it was that called would get his mind out of the gutter and on to a slightly safer topic.

_It's Jordan. I'm back from Spain. Well actually, I've been back for four months. I'm running a new Psychiatric counselling center in Quantico. I'm billeted there on base– in temp housing. Anyway, I was thinking about you. Thought we might talk. 763-555-2699._

In retrospect after seeing Renee's reaction, he wished he had waited until she left to check his messages. This was one call that he would have rather returned in private. He hit the stop button on the answering machine and then turned and headed back towards the kitchen area.

"You want some wine?" He asked hoping to get Renee's mind off of the phone call. She already had some heartburn about his and Mac's relationship. Throw Jordan into the mix….and all hell was going to break loose.

"Sure. I think the elephant might want some to."

Damn, Harm sighed. She wasn't going to let it go and he could tell that it was going to be a long night.

"What?" He tossed back over his shoulder as he stood in front of the fridge searching for the bottle of wine that he knew was in there. He really was going to need it now, he thought.

"The one you're ignoring. You just received a message from your old girlfriend, Harm."

She was beginning to piss him off. So what if he received a phone message from an old girlfriend. What business was it of hers anyway? He watched in disbelief as Renee walked over to the phone.

"Renee…" He said drawing out her name, in irritation.

"Call her back." Renee ordered, and it was quickly becoming obvious that she wasn't about to let any of this this go. "What was it?" She asked as she picked up the phone. "555-2624?" She repeated the number that she thought she had heard and when Harm confirmed that, it was correct she began to dial the number. "Want me to put it on speaker phone?" She asked.

"I already have." Harm said as he grabbed the phone away from her and they both listened while it rang and the call connected.

"Parker Residence." A male voice whom Harm didn't recognize answered.

"Hello, is Lieutenant Commander Parker there, please?" Harm asked, and then he thought–I'll show Rene Peterson that I have no other feelings for Jordan other than friendship. In fact, anything that he had felt for her had long since dissipated since the two of them had parted ways. If only that stupid Aussie hadn't interfered….

"Who am I speaking with, please?" The same strange voice asked, interrupting Harm's thoughts and this time sending a prickle of apprehension up his spine.

"Commander Harmon Rabb." He answered apprehensively.

"This is NCIS Special Agent Kenworthy, Commander."

Without hesitation, Harm took the phone off of speaker and put the receiver up to his ear. Whatever the Agent had to say, he wasn't sure that he wanted Renee in on the conversation.

"Are you a friend of hers?" The agent asked.

"Yes I am." Harm answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you, but Commander Parker is dead.

_JAG intro music and intro clips of Harm in the court room, Harm in his Jet, etc…_

Much to Renee's dismay, Harm told her that she could stay or she was free to leave. He on the other hand, after hearing about Jordan's death was adamant that he drive out there and see what he could do. He half listened while she argued her point at the same time grabbing his keys, jacket, and wallet. Without saying a word, he walked out the door and left–leaving behind an open mouthed Renee and for the first time in a long while he could have cared less.

Harm drove the fifty or so miles to Quantico in complete silence. He hadn't even bothered to turn on the radio. In fact, it wasn't until he arrived and saw all of the emergency vehicles that it began to sink in that she was really dead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Disclaimer: I do not own the JAG characters nor do I receive any money for doing this.

2317 hours Local Time

Officer's Housing, MCCDC

Quantico, VA

Harm was both physically and emotionally exhausted by the time he reached the officer's housing complex where Jordan had been living. As he approached the crime scene, he heard a voice say…

"I was bringing our laundry back to the complex and when I arrived my wife was calling 911. She said that she had heard something that sounded like a gunshot…."

As Harm closed in, he could see that the voice belonged to a Lieutenant Colonel, who was in the process of being questioned by an NCIS agent. Likely, the same agent he had spoken with on the phone earlier. It was about that time that the NCIS agent took notice of him and turned to address him.

"Commander Rabb?"

Harm nodded indicating that he was correct in his assumption.

"I'll be with you in a moment." The agent said and then returned his attention back to the witnesses, Lt. Colonel Maples and his wife Jane Maples, whom he was currently questioning. "What time did you hear this sound, Mrs. Maples?" He asked.

Harm noticed that the woman seemed rather rattled but chocked it up to her being in shock after witnessing such a horrific event.

"I ah…it was around 6:30….it startled me. I saw a male service member going down the steps. It startled me…"

"Did you happen to notice what sort of uniform he was wearing?"

"No…I…ah…" The woman looked up at her husband who currently had is arm protectively around her shoulders as an outward show of his support. Taking note of his wife's obvious distress, and having some inside knowledge of her current mental status he knew that she was walking a fine line between keeping it together and losing it completely. So, he decided to put a stop to the questioning before things got totally out of hand and the whole world became privy to the secret that he had been so desperately tying to hide.

"My wife didn't really see anything. Do you mind if we continue this inside." He asked, hoping to buy some time to get her calmed down.

Kenworth sighed, "Sure that will be fine." He said, knowing first hand that if you pushed to hard witnesses had a way of closing up and it was always best to get witness statements as close to the time of the event as possible. Otherwise, they had a way of becoming contaminated by other outside influences.

While Harm waited to speak to the NCIS agent, he caught sight of the waiting ambulance and then Jordan's body as it was being wheeled outside. His mind drifted back to the day he had first met Jordan after she had been involved in a small fender bender on base. He remembered how he had been desperate to find someone to spend Christmas with and just like a welcomed answer to a prayer, she was there.

"Commander…Commander…."

The sound of his rank being called out intruded into his thoughts and he was suddenly brought back to the present and the reality that Jordan was dead. He would never talk to her again…"Oh, I'm sorry Agent. What did you find out?" Harm asked.

"How well did you know Commander Parker?" The commander was in the military, had a romantic relationship with the victim….that was enough to put him on the agent's mental list of suspects.

"I knew her pretty well." Harm answered honestly. "We dated. I haven't seen her in over a year. What exactly happened?" Harm asked trying to fish for answers.

"Why were you calling her?" The agent asked and Harm knew for sure that this was the same agent that he had spoken to earlier on the phone.

"I was returning her call. She left me a message. It was the first time that I had heard she was back from Spain. "Harm dipped his hand into the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out a micro-cassette tape, "I brought the tape." he said as he handed the tape over to the NCIS agent.

Agent Kenworthy took the tape and nodded, "Good." He said as he dropped the tape into his own pocket.

"As a JAG attorney, I would like to offer any and all assistance." Harm stated.

"Why was she calling you?" Kenworthy asked again.

"She wasn't specific." Harm sighed as irritation complied by his exhaustive state of mind began to creep in. "Was she murdered?" He finally asked.

"That would be my preliminary opinion."

"Under what circumstances." Harm asked.

This was an area that the NCIS agent wasn't about to get into with a potential suspect, "This might take a while. Let me finish up here and we can go somewhere where we can talk.

Harm watched as the ambulance that contained Jordan's body pulled away from the scene. He was done answering questions and he didn't think that he was going to get any more out of NCIS Special Agent Kenworthy. So, he let out a loud sigh of frustration before turning and walking back towards where he had parked his car. On the way home, the radio played in the background but Harm wasn't really listening. He was too busy trying to wrap his mind around what had happened.

A little over an hour later he pulled into the parking lot in front of his apartment building and noticed that Renee's car was gone, and he felt more relieved then anything. Sighing, he got out of the car, locked up, and then made his way up to his now dark and lonely apartment. Once inside, he tossed his keys on top of the bookshelf and then took off his coat and dumped it on the back of the couch. He toed off his shoes before checking the clock on the stove in the kitchen. It was already nearing 0400 hours. So much for getting any sleep, he thought.

He was thankful that Renee wasn't there. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with her. He took off his dress clothes and without giving them much thought, he tossed them into a heap on the floor. His mother would have been so proud. Dressed only in his boxers he set the alarm and then got into bed.

Two hours later the alarm went off and it was all Harm could to do to get himself up and out of bed. Work was calling, although he knew it was unlikely that he would work the whole day he did want to speak with Admiral Chegwidden about getting a JAGMAN investigation started.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Disclaimer: I do not own the JAG characters nor do I receive any money for doing this.

1022 Hours Local Time

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church

Harm had been at work for a little over two hours and after only getting two hours of sleep the night before, everything that happened was beginning to take its toll. Worse, the admiral had been away from the office attending meetings at the Pentagon all morning so Harm had yet to talk with him. He wasn't about to leave until he did. He was just headed out to get what was to be his third cup of coffee that morning when he spotted Admiral Chegwidden getting off the elevators.

"Admiral…" Harm said, calling out as he tried to catch up with the man in question.

The admiral, upon hearing Harm call out to him stopped and turned, "Commander, I heard." He said. Jordan's death bringing the recent death of his own girlfriend forefront in his mind. "You have my deepest sympathies."

"Thank you, sir." Harm said and he knew that the words his CO had just spoken had come straight from the older man's heart and not something, he was saying out of common courtesy. "I was wondering if you would consider ordering a JAGMAN investigation parallel to what NCIS is doing." It was a statement more than a question.

"Why?" Admiral Chegwidden wanted to know.

Just then Bud stepped up, wanting to help his longtime friend and mentor make his point, and after overhearing the last part of the conversation between Harm and the admiral he said, "We were all friends with Commander Parker, Sir. We think that we should be part of it."

The admiral sighed, he wanted to get JAG involved but he needed a better reason, "Better reason." He said, hoping that someone would come up with a better reason than the one Bud had just come up with and that someone was Sarah Mackenzie.

"They are keeping Commander Rabb in the dark." She stated as she joined the small impromptu meeting that was taking place in the middle of the busy bullpen.

"Why would they do that?" The admiral asked.

"I'm on their suspect list, sir." Harm stated, dropping his head at that implications.

"He was alone in his car at the time of Commander Parker's death." Mac interjected.

"I was on my way to Montclair to pick up Renee." Harm quickly added.

"Which is close to Quantico…?" The admiral quickly deduced. He sighed as he looked over the three subordinates who stood before him waiting on his decision. "Alright, colonel…." He finally conceded, looking her straight in the eye as he did. "You will head it, Roberts you'll assist."

"Sir, may I enlist the services of Lt. Commander Coulter for forensic pathology?" If there was one woman Harm truly trusted in this department it was his longtime friend, Commander Coulter.

"Alright." The Admiral said, not finding a problem with Harm's request. "Just stay in the background. Any appearance of impropriety…" He looked straight into Harm's eyes…the seriousness of his warning showing in their very depths.

"I understand sir." Harm quickly interjected.

"I just hope you do." The admiral said as he turned to head in the direction of his office.

**The next morning….JAG Headquarters**

Harm felt reasonably better after going home early the day before and getting some, much needed sleep. He was expecting Commander Coulter to arrive at any moment so he was waiting for her near the bank of elevators. He was standing near a file cabinet when his mind began to wonder. Suddenly he could see Jordan, lying there sleeping on his bed. She must have fallen asleep after he had left her in order to pursue the case that he had been working on.

"Harm….Harm…."

The sound of someone calling his name quickly brought him back to the present. Commander Coulter was standing in front of him. He was so out of it that he hadn't even seen her step off the elevator nor approach him.

"You dreaming?" She asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Unfortunately." Harm sighed, uncomfortable at having been caught. "It's nice to see you, Teresa." He said using her given name instead of her last name and rank as was customary. "I wish it was under better circumstances." There was a brief time when Teresa and Harm had grown quite close and maybe something might have come of it if they didn't happen to live thousands of miles apart.

"Well, I hope I can be of some help."

"Did you examine the body?" Harm asked. Keeping things as clinical as possible seemed to help him keep a reign on his already ragged emotions.

"I just got back from the morgue. The muzzle mark left a residue pattern on the clothing and the muzzle displacement indicated the gun went off and was placed directly against her chest and fired."

"What about the crime scene?" Harm asked, hoping against hope that she had been able to find something there.

"NCIS will only clear me for forensic pathology."

Just then, Mac and Bud walked over and after hearing the last part of the conversation Mac added, "NCIS won't let us near the rest of the evidence until they have finished their part of the investigation."

Bud chimed in, "But their preliminary report, reports that the weapon, a 38 Arrowhead, belonged to Commander Parker."

After hearing what Bud had to say the blood drained out of Harm's face and for a moment he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Are you okay?" Teresa Coulter asked as she stepped towards Harm a look of concern on her face that mirrored everyone else's in the small group.

Harm took a deep breath as he fought to steady his emotions, "When Clark Palmer was threatening Jordan I insisted she buy the weapon."


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Disclaimer: I do not own the JAG characters nor do I receive any money for doing this.

3 Days Later

1000 Hours Local Time

Arlington Cemetery

Arlington VA

Harm, Mac, and Bud Roberts were headed towards the chapel for Jordan's funeral when they were approached by NCIS Special Agent Kenworthy.

"Morning Commander." Agent Kenworthy said, gaining the small groups attention.

"Agent Kenworthy." Harm answered, rather stiffly. He couldn't help but wonder what the man's intentions were or why he was even attending the funeral in the first place.

Kenworthy looked over the small group, "So, is this the JAG team." He asked indicating the small group of friends.

Mac chose that moment to step up, "Colonel MacKenzie." She said introducing herself. "This is Lieutenant Bud Roberts." She said indicating Bud with a quick nod in his direction.

"You think it is proper Colonel to be associated with an NCIS suspect?" The agent asked.

Mac bristled in response. There was no way in hell anyone was going to get away with dissing her partner the way Kenworthy had. Epically, when that partner was Harmon Rabb JR. "We are associating with a fellow mourner, Special Agent." She spat, getting up and personal in his space. "We all knew Commander Parker and we are not about to nod at each other from across the chapel. Now if you'll excuse us Agent." She said, and then turned on her heal and headed in the direction of the chapel her two comrades filling in behind. Inside they all filed into the same pew and sat down. About half-way through a middle-aged, Marine Major, named Lynch. He was Jordan Parker's current boyfriend and it was he who was about to deliver the eulogy.

_When we met from across the PX she nailed my relationship with my mother in one sentence._

Harm could relate. His mind went back to Jordy and his first meeting. A snowy Christmas eve, after she had been involved in a small motor vehicle crash that had taken out the nativity scene in front of the base entrance. There wasn't more than two sentences out of her mouth before she had nailed the relationship between him, his mother and father.

_You couldn't hide anything from Jordan. That's why I fell for her._

Maybe that's why he had fallen for her to, Harm thought. For a moment Harm's mind drifted away from Jordan's funeral and back to the case. If there was a more perfect suspect, he was standing right in front of them.

"I assume he's on your list." Harm whispered just loud enough for Mac to hear.

"We see him Tuesday." Mac replied and then gave him the same look a mother gives a small child when he or she is being disruptive in church.

_She helped me learn to commit and I helped her get over the last guy that couldn't. _

Lynch said the last while making direct eye contact with Harm. After the guilt trip that he'd been laying on himself over the past few days, Harm couldn't help but flinch at the last.

**JAG Headquarters-Later that afternoon**

Harm was sitting in his office feeling a little put off because he wasn't allowed, as long as he was a suspect, to participate in Jordan's murder investigation.

"Hey." Mac said as she walked into his office and sat down.

Thinking that she might have some sort of news about the case, he perked up a bit in anticipation. "Hey, what's up?" He asked as he prepared himself for what was to come.

"How do I put this…?" Mac said, her shoulders slumped slightly as if she had really bad news and in response, Harm braced himself for the worse. Maybe they found out that she really did kill herself and her death was all his fault. "I had to remove you and Renee off the head table. It only seats eight. With me, the bridal party, Bud, Harriet, the Admiral, Chloe…."

Harm felt himself deflate like one of those blow up Santa's that people put out in their front yards around Christmas. Mac's wedding was the last thing he wanted to talk about and more to the point he really didn't care where he and Renee were being forced to sit. If things where his way there would be no wedding at all. Renee would be out of the picture. Bugme, would be back it Australia where he belonged and it would be his and Mac's wedding that they would be planning.

"It's okay." He finally said, trying to clear his mind of that particular scenario.

Mac looked at him as if she were trying to figure out where his mind just was, "Are you sure." She finally asked.

Just to prove it Harm changed the subject entirely, "Yeah, have you looked into Jordan's patient file? Because she treated everything from anxiety to post traumatic stress disorder. I think we can assume that at least on these patient's has the potential for violence."

He watched as Mac sighed, her eyes glazing over with frustration, "I think we can assume that all possible theories are still on the table. Harm, I know you're frustrated but coaching from the sidelines isn't helping."

Now it was Harm's turn to take the defensive, "What would you prefer I do?" He asked the anger and frustration evident in his voice.

Just then, the sound of someone approaching caught Mac's attention and she turned in her chair to see who it was. "You should be grateful you've been cleared." Agent Kenworthy said as he entered Harm's office.

"Who's the suspect?" Harm asked.

Kenworthy sighed, "The victim. We know believe LT. Commander Parker took her own life.

Harm shook his head. This can't be happening, he thought. Because if it is, it meant that Jordy's death was his fault and that was just something that he couldn't, no wouldn't accept.

1522 Local time

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, VA

The rest of the afternoon had gone by in a blur. In fact, Harm had spent most of it in his office trying to contemplate the idea that Jordy had taken her own life. When he head NCIS's theory as to why-well let's just say it had left him drowning in a giant puddle of guilt. Now he had to pull himself to together because he had a meeting with Teresa, Mac, and Bud in less than five minutes.

He stood up, squared his shoulders, then like any good aviator–he packed all of his emotions into a neat little box, and then proceeded to walk out of his office. Teresa, Mac, and Bud were already waiting for him in the conference room. Paperwork on Jordy's death was spread out on the table in front of the group.

They greeted each other and then chatted amicably and then the meeting got started. Not wanting to intrude on the meeting Harm choose to stand against the far wall. But close enough so that he could hear what was going on but far enough away as to not seem intrusive.

"Suicide, what are they basing that on?" A surprised Teresa asked.

Mac pulled a report out of a file she had brought with her and began to summarize its contents, "There was no sign of forced entry, she died seated in a chair–which is a common scenario, and also the witness spotted an officer leaving officer quarters. If it had been her apartment, it would have a different story.

"What about forensics?"

Mac continued, "The only prints I have are Commander Parker's and the angle of entry is consistent with a self-inflicted wound…"Mac hands Teresa the report so she can read it,"…from a right handed person."

Teresa glanced over the report totally not impressed with what she was reading, "A cleaver killer could have arranged that."

Not able to stand it anymore, Harm chose that moment to step closer to the group, "NCIS has also conducted a psychological autopsy." He quickly added.

Teresa's face turned grim at the prospect and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that these typed or proceedings, in her opinion, ranked very low, "Ah, not that!" She said voicing her opinion aloud.

"Why, what's your take on it?" Harm asked suddenly very interested in whatever it was she had to say.

"Those who knew the dead person are interviewed as a way of reconstructing his or her mental state. The tendency is to cease on any life-happenstance no matter how trivial."

"So, you're not buying it." Harm stated his emotional state lifting as he began to see a light at the end of what had become a very dark tunnel.

"Psychological autopsies could have helped determine how my mother died, Harm. I mean, I don't like them but I'm not willing to ignore them either."

Harm sighed, so much for the light at the end of the tunnel, which now seemed to have dimmed. It was almost as if a giant wind had come and blown it out. "NCIS is saying that I am responsible for Jordan's death." Maybe they were right, after all.

"Her boyfriend told NCIS that her relationship with Harm wounded her psychologically." Mac quickly added, while at the same time Harm took a seat at the table opposite Mac.

"Their theory is that because I didn't return Jordan's phone call immediately, she became depressed and then used the weapon that I insist that she buy. To punish me for hurting her."

By this point Teresa had just about had just about enough. Deep in her gut, she knew that Jordan had not committed suicide and her knowledge of Harm told her that if she didn't prove her theory correct, Harm would spend the rest of his life beating himself up about it. Squaring her shoulders as if to go into battle, Teresa turned towards Bud who had been silent up until this point. "Lieutenant, inform NCIS that I need access to the crime scene when they release it and request all relevant documents." She ordered.

"Yes, ma'am" Bud replied, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. "They may resist it."

Teresa turned and looked at Bud the same way a mother would look at a child who had just given her an unreasonable excuse for not being able to clean their room, "Then tear them out of their hand, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am." Bud said, and then exited the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Disclaimer: I do not own the JAG characters nor do I receive any money for doing this.

The next morning….

1014 Local time

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Bethesda, Maryland.

Harm had arrived at work that morning exhausted. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually had a full night's sleep and it was catching up with him. Couple that with the disaster that was his love life…anger welled up inside him. In response, he slammed his coffee cup down on his desk, which at the time just happened to be full of coffee.

"Damn it!" He cried out as the hot brew slopped all over his hand before splattering all over the top of his desk. He grabbed some tissues from the tissue box and dried his hand, which still throbbed from the burn. He gave his hand a quick once over and decided that it was nothing more than surface burn before wiping up the rest of the mess on his desk. "I really need to get out of here." He said to himself as he grabbed his jacket, keys, and cover and walked out.

He had driven around for a while but in his mind, he wanted answers and he was so damned tired of having to wait around and do nothing. Next thing he knew he was pulling up in front of Bethesda, Naval hospital, waiting in the valet parking line. He needed to talk to Teresa. She had a way of calming him down as no one else could.

Once inside the hospital, Harm took the elevator down to the morgue. When he reached his desired department, he knocked on the door.

"Yeah…" Teresa said, not bothering to look up from whatever it was that she was doing.

"You busy?" Harm asked, stopping just under the doorframe.

"Come in, Commander." Teresa replied with a smile before turning to the man that was working beside her. "Commander Harmon Rabb." She said by way of interdiction. She then turned to look at Harm who had walked in, closed the door behind him and then walked over to where they were standing. "Bruce Gasdon, Hospital Toxicologist."

"Oh, Hi Bruce." Harm said as he extended his hand towards the man.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Bruce said, extending his own hand to shake Harms.

"What brings you here?" Teresa asked, after the formal introductions where made.

"Well, I haven't had a chance to catch up with you so…"

Teresa gave him a crazy look as if to say, we just talked yesterday what more could you want. Her southern upbringing, however, prevented her from being that rude so she quickly interrupted and said, "So you want to see where we are."

"Yeah, I do." Harm answered truthfully. When it came to Teresa Coulter, he didn't know why but he found it very difficult to lie. Maybe it was because she was one of the few people he knew that had a unique ability to see right through him. It was hard as hell for him to put up a false façade around her…maybe it was one of the things that attracted him to her.

"NCIS discounted evidence we think might be relevant."

"Like what?" Harm asked, lighting up like a dog at the prospect of a new bone."

"Well, some of the blood collected from the crime scene if from an animal." Bruce added.

"How would they know that?" Harm asked.

"It's standard to check for antibody derivatives."

Harm sighed. It was something but he wished they would have found something more substantial, "Well maybe she had a pet?"

Teresa smiled, "No, there's no indication that there was one on the premises."

Harm nodded. He didn't think it was likely that Jordan had either a cat or a dog. She was deathly allergic to cats and in her opinion, dogs required too much attention. Something she didn't have a whole lot of time for given her career choice. "Conclusions." Harm said, half hoping for some big breakthrough.

Bruce looked up from what he was doing before saying, "They felt it was a dead-end. We're going to stay with it."

This time it was Teresa who spoke, "I also revisited the gunshot evidence. The residue appears to be evenly distributed on both of Jordan's hands. If she had shot herself there would be more coverage on the top of her shooting hand."

Harm sighed. What they had wasn't much but it was better than nothing he supposed, "Where does that put her hands when the gun was fired, Teresa?"

"Away from the weapon…"

"What about her finger prints on the weapon?"

"Her finger prints on the metal parts indicate handling not shooting. We weren't able to get anything off the handle because it was textured. There was a smeared partial print on the trigger that we couldn't positively identify. Harm, I feel this was a murder." Teresa said, trying to put her friends mind at ease.

Harm smiled, "Then that's what we will assume until we investigate further."

"You're on the team?" Teresa asked.

"I am now." Harm reported and then turned to leave. He had hope now that he was at least not as responsible or Jordan's death as he had once thought he was. There was still that lingering doubt in the far corner of his mind that he just could not let go of–it was the gun that he had helped her purchase that had ultimately caused her death. In that there was no denying that, he was responsible.

Harm drove back to JAG Headquarters only to step out of the elevator and see Mac, Bud, and Major Lynch meeting in Mac's office. At first he as angry that Mac had thought so little of him to exclude him from their little party. His eyes still on Mac's office he darted across the bull pen to drop off his cover and Jacket. After that, he was going to head over to Mac's office and crash their little party before he missed too much of the good stuff. He pulled open his office door only to find Renee sitting in his chair.

What the hell was she doing there? "Hey." He said plastering on a fake smile for her benefit.

"Hey." she replied back as she watched his drop his cover on the book shelf before hanging his jacket on the coat rack in the corner.

"What's up?" He asked, hoping that he could get rid of Renee sooner rather than later so he could get back to Mac's office and see what was going on there.

"I thought we could extend your lunch and catch that movie."

He didn't have time for this…not today. "You want me to play hooky?" he asked, giving her a look that indicated that she had to be out of her mind for suggesting such a thing.

"Try it, you'll like it." Renee said, batting her eyes hoping her over-the-top suggestive body language would get her what she wanted.

Harm was in no mood however to be receptive so he ignored her all together, "I'm about to jump into the investigation."

Renee sighed, "See it's about this guy who keeps his job above his girlfriend. She leaves him for George Clooney."

"Sounds good." Harm said, not really paying attention his eyes still glued towards Mac's office.

"Then he's so miserable…" Renee continues. "He ends up babbling to himself in subway stations."

At that point, Harm wanted nothing more than to ditch Renee, "You know, let's do it tonight. I'm late for an interview. Put the information on my desk and I will meet you there. Okay." He said trying his best to try and appease her.

"But she can't live without him so she tracks him down and buys him soup…"

Ignoring Renee's drivel Harm steps out of his office, walks across the bullpen, and into Mac's office without giving Renee a second glance. "Excuse me…" He says as he pushed open the door and walks in. "Permission to sit in Colonel?" He asks rather coldly taking up position in the far corner on an empty chair that happened to be sitting there.

"I'm not sure that's necessary, Commander." Mac says returning Harm's cold stare with one of her own.

Harm looked over in Lynch's direction and said, "Hi."

Not feeling as if she has much of a choice at this point. She could either demand that Harm leave and cause a scene or include him and hope against hope that he behaved himself and didn't cause on. She took one last look at Harm whose body language told her that he wasn't going anywhere and quickly chose the latter. "Major, this is Commander Rabb."

The room was quiet while Lynch gave Harm the once over, "I preconized you at the funeral pulpit from a picture that Jordan had shown me." He finally said.

"Would it make you uncomfortable if I sat in, Major?" Harm asked.

"No." The Major answered.

"Consider me a fly on the wall."

That will be the day, Mac thought. "The Major is aware that our investigation is ongoing and focuses on a murder scenario." Mac said trying to fill Harm in on what he had already missed.

"What do you believe happened, Major?" Harm asked already forgetting his status as the fly.

"I'm open to all theories Commander."

At that moment Bud decided to bring Harm up to speed, "The Major was telling us about one of Commander Parker's clients. An Assistant Dispersing Officer by the name of Lt. George Fontenot. The Major was present when the Lieutenant called the Commander in an agitated state."

"What did Jordan say about him?" Harm asked

"Only what you just heard, Sir." Lynch answered. "Jordan was bound by the ethics of her profession."

Somewhere deep down in the far reaches of his mind he knew that he was supposed to sit back and let Mac take control but something in the forefront of his mind over-rode his sensibility's and his mouth began to engage before his brain had time to sensor what was coming out of it.

"Did you tell NCIS about Lt. Fontenot?" He was like a dog with a bone, now and could barely hold back long enough for Lynch to answer before barraging him with another question.

"They had already concluded it was suicide before it occurred to me."

Harm was beginning to see red, "You didn't consider it your responsibility to inform NCIS?"

Lynch, reacting to Harm started to become defensive. Mac sensing that this meeting was about to unravel sat back and began to wonder how long she should let this go on before stepping in and putting a stop to it. "I'm not sure what you are implying here?" Lynch replied.

"Do you ever get into an agitated state?" Harm asked, the volume of his voice rising with each word.

Lynch turned to Mac, "Ma'am I'm wondering about objectivity here."

"Where were you the night Jordan was murdered?" Harm demanded.

"Excuse me." Lynch shouted.

"Do you have an alibi?" Harm interjected.

Lynch looked straight at Harm when he spoke, "I know you don't have one, Commander."

Mac looked from Harm to Lynch. Deciding it was time to step in before things really got out of control, "We will check on Lt. Fontenot, Major. Thank you for your time." She said effectively ending the meeting.

"Colonel–Commander." Lynch said to both Bud and Mac. He then stood up and walked out the door.

Harm stared after him in disbelief, "Why would you do that?" He asked Mac–anger evident in his voice.

"I'd ask you the same thing." Mac retaliated, with just as much anger in her voice. "You are not an official part of this investigation."

Bud just sat back looking like a child whose parents were engaging in a heated argument and had totally forgotten in the heat of the moment that he was standing there.

Harm was seeing red and he didn't care at the moment if the President himself was there to witness, "I'm an official part of Jordan's life, okay, and I expect to be notified when something breaks."

"Common sense demands that you stay out of this, Harm." Mac warned.

"Is it common sense to allow him to walk out of here without telling us where he was when Jordan was killed?"

Bud already had the answer to Harm's question. Sensing that he needed to step in and be the voice of reason he said, "Sir, we already asked him that question. He was shopping for an engagement ring for Commander Parker at the time of her death. He planned to propose that night. He told the same story to NCIS and they confirmed it."

Deflated by Bud's statement and torn by his less than stellar actions, Harm got up from the chair he was sitting on and walked out of Mac's office. He spent the better part of the next three hours in his office wallowing in a lake of self-pity. He was about to give up and go home when Mac of all people walked into his office and sat down. He wasn't expecting her or the smile that graced her face.

"Hey, you still want to be part of the investigation?" She asked.

"I'm surprised that you would want me."

Mac sighed, "Jordan was an important part of your life. It's unfair of me to leave you out. Just try and stay objective." She playfully warned.

"I'm sure you'll remind me if I'm not." Harm said, sitting up a little straighter in his chair.

"Bud tracked down George Fontenot, the man who made the troubled call to Jordan."

"Is he a serious lead?" Harm asked, suddenly all ears.

Mac smiled, "You tell me. Last night Quantico's Commanding General had him committed to Bethesda Naval Hospital for a special evaluation."

"Why?" Harm asked.

"He attacked a fellow officer with a baseball bat."


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Disclaimer: I do not own the JAG characters nor do I receive any money for doing this.

1822 Hours Local Time

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Baltimore, Maryland

Harm and Mac met up with Fontenot in the visiting area of the hospital's psych ward.

"It was the base paly offs, sir. Every time I stepped to the plate, the catcher was talking trash. Eight innings of stuff about my intelligence, my mother, my sexual preferences."

"So, you hit him with a baseball bat."

"He was wearing a mask and a chest protector, Sir." Fontenot complained as if wearing said safety equipment made it okay for him to hit the officer in question.

"Fontenot, your records indicate that you recently shoved a Private." Bud interjected.

"The Private was unruly and I did receive official counseling for that."

"With Commander Parker." Mac inferred.

"Yes Ma'am." Fontenot answered.

"Witnesses tell us that you called the commander on her cell phone a week and a half ago. He heard you screaming on the other end." Mac added.

"She canceled my appointment for that afternoon by leaving a message on the phone." Fontenot answered, becoming increasingly agitated by Mac's line of questioning.

"Was that a yes, Lieutenant?"

Fontenot stepped back, ran his fingers through his hair and he tried to calm himself down. "Your right. I'm sorry. I was probably taking it personally."

"Your wife died recently, didn't she Lieutenant?" Harm asked and almost immediately, the lieutenant's shoulders drooped. "In a car crash." Harm continued. "Did you talk to Lieutenant Commander Parker about this?"

"Yes, Sir." Fontenot answered.

"Did you get angry then? Is there something you want to tell us, Lieutenant?"

"That I would like to speak to an attorney, sir." Fontenot answered

As soon as he asked for an attorney, the meeting with Fontenot was over. Mac, Harm, and Bud left the hospital and drove back to JAG where they had set up a meeting with Commander Coulter before calling it quits for the night.

"Lieutenant Fontenot's last appointment with Jordan was April 27." Harm reported, reading from the patient records that they had received from Bethesda.

"I still can't believe you were able to get these patient files released." Teresa said in disbelief.

"By the exception in rule 313.11–this allows for disclosure of normally privileged information. If the communication contemplates the future commission of a crime." Bud explained.

"But the lieutenant is in custody." Teresa stated, wondering if they might be crossing a fine line.

"Yeah, for the moment." Harm agreed.

Mac picked up Fontenot's medical record and began to read, "April 27–Remains in a sensitive state of mind due to wife's death, which had a stabilizing influence. Condition exasperated by a painful adolescence. Mother passed away when he was twelve. Frequently bullied. Need for material guidance significant. Leading to an uncommonly respectful attitude towards women in general."

Bud sighed, "Takes the wind out of that sail. His wife was gone and he was clearly depending on Commander Parker for help. Why would he want to kill her?"

"Maybe she wasn't helping him and his patients got the best of him. This is a man who attacks people." Mac added, not wanting them to lose track of the fact that he had already attacked two people.

"The direction has always been focused towards men, Mac. He has always been more responsive to your questions."

"I agree, Harm." Commander Coulter, put in.

"If Commander Parker felt as if she was in danger from him she would have made note of it but she confirmed the opposite." This from Bud.

"Yeah, he was on duty that night. He would have had to sneak away from his post just to get near her." Harm said, pretty much excluding Fontenot from their list of suspects.

Just then, the door to the conference room opened and all four individuals sitting around the table turned to see that it was a very angry looking Renee.

"Excuse me." Renee said as she stepped into the room.

"Renee. Hey, how are you." Harm said as he pushed himself up from the table and walked over to greet her.

"You tell me." Renee said her tone cold and malicious. The elephant in the room grew exponentially as her anger increased.

Harm sucked in a deep breath as he realized why Renee was there and why she was so angry with him. "Movie night." He said, sounding as contrite as he possibly could have given the situation. "Ah, I'm sorry. I got caught up, here. How was it?" He let out a little chuckle trying to lighten the situation, which clearly wasn't working.

"I wouldn't know. I was waiting outside for my date." Renee said rather angrily and then turned and walked out of the room.

"Renee, wait." Harm called out, running out after her.

By the time he caught up to Renee, she had already disappeared behind the elevator doors. Sulking, he went back to his office and sat down. A few minutes later, he heard a knock on his door and looked up just in time to see Teresa standing there.

"Everything alright?" She asked, moving to lean against the doorframe.

"Yeah, she went home." He sighed.

"Angry?"

"Oh, yeah." Harm answered, wondering how he was going to make it up to her.

"You probably don't want company."

"No, have a seat. We still need to catch up. She thinks I'm self-absorbed."

Teresa smiled, "Well you are and for good reason."

"When your mother died–did you feel guilty?" Harm asked, Jordan's death starting to weigh heavily on him.

"Harm, Jordan didn't kill herself."

Harm sighed, "I don't know. The gun, the fact that she was trying to get ahold of me. The break-up…"

This time it was Teresa's turn to sigh, "Those aren't the reason she's dead."

"You don't know that." The anguish was clearly written across Harm's face.

"Why was she trying to reach you?" Teresa asked.

"I think she needed help with something." Harm answered truthfully.

"Well, you are working her case. How did the two of you meet?"

As that particular memory washed over him, Harm almost lost it completely, "She ahhhh…she just walked in." He finally said his voice shaky.

"You never said goodbye. I see…." Teresa said, coming to some conclusions herself about Harm's emotional investment in Jordan's death.

"Anyway, so how are you doing?" Harm asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Jordan and back onto a safer topic.

"I'm fine." Teresa said and the two of them spent the next hour engaged in friendly conversation.

After that, Harm left and went home. He was dog tired but sleep still didn't claim him. By the time morning came, even coffee wasn't enough to get him going. He pulled his sleep-deprived body out of bed. Shoulder's hunched, he made his way to the bathroom. After a long hot shower, he felt marginally better but was far from his normal self. Who could be normal, anyway? He thought to himself as he warmed up a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave.

The next person on their list of suspects was Jordan's boyfriend, Major Lynch. After doing some research they had found out that, he had lied about going to the Jewelry store. Unfortunately, he worked second shift, so they weren't able to catch up to him until around seven, that evening. Harm and Mac ate dinner together before they headed over to the Public Affairs building, in Quantico.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Disclaimer: I do not own the JAG characters nor do I receive any money for doing this.

1913 hours Local time

Public Affairs Building, MCCDC

Quantico, VA

"Where were you at the time of Commander Parker's death?" Mac asked.

The Major gave her an angry stare, "I already established that." He said with a sigh.

This time Harm jumped in, "You didn't establish that, your Gunnery Sargent did."

"We just spoke with her and she told NCIS that you went to the Jewelry store because that's what you told her." Mac, piped in.

"And this is a problem…." The Major said, acting as if he didn't see a problem with his Gunnery Sargent lying on his behalf.

"I assume that you can provide a receipt, proving the purchase of this engagement ring." Harm stated.

Major Lynch let out a loud sigh, "I never bought the ring, Sir.

Harm continued, "Well, then a sales person who will confirm your presence in the store at the time, Major."

Major Lynch, launched a death stare in Harm's direction, "Let me try to understand this…" He said between clinched teeth. "You, a suspect without an alibi in Jordan's murder are asking me, if I can support mine."

This time Mac stepped forward, "I'll ask you Major, can you?" She asked.

"I wasn't in the store Ma'am. My Gunny assumed that because I had asked about what to buy."

"Well where were you then?" Mac asked, taking a note of the fact that their prime suspect now had no alibi.

"In Lafayette Park, Ma'am."

"Why didn't you clarify this with NCIS?" Mac asked, her tone of voice demanding an answer.

"I didn't want to be suspected of something I didn't do."

"Why were you at the park?"

Lynch started pacing back and forth across the floor his hands behind his back, "I was thinking." He finally answered.

"About what?" Mac demanded.

"About how I was going to win Jordan back."

"She'd broken up with you?" Now he had motive and no alibi. Things were just getting better and better.

Lynch hesitated for a moment, "…about an hour before. That's why I was going to buy the ring. I thought it might help convince her to change her mind."

"Why didn't you buy the ring?" Harm asked.

A look of sadness, compiled with anger, washed over the Major's face, "Because I realized it wasn't going to work. I made my commitment to late. Look, I'm being straight with you guys because I want to be clear that I loved Jordan. I did not kill her. I would not kill her. So let's talk about this in the spirt of finding out who the person was that did it."

"Let's talk about where you were the night before Jordan died."

"Is this your murder theory, Commander?" Lynch asked.

"Did you visit her Major?" Harm asked again.

Lynch chuckled in disbelief, "That would be no, Sir. I was visiting my sister in St. Louis. Shall I get her on the phone to confirm, Sir?"

That was that. Harm and Mac's prime suspect just went don't the toilet. They knew that Jordan couldn't have been talking about Lynch in her journal. The two of them might have been having their fair share of issues but Lynch was defiantly not their killer.

Back in the car, Harm and Mac began to discuss the case.

"Why would Mrs. Maples lie about seeing Lynch leaving Jordan's quarters the night before?" Harm asked as he pushed the key into the ignition and started the car.

"Maybe because she was a frail woman who was pushed into falsely identifying a suspect by an overzealous attorney." Mac replied as she reached for her seatbelt and clicked it into place.

Harm sighed, as he put the car into gear and pulled out of the parking lot, "I didn't push her, Mac." He finally said.

"You're pushing everybody, Harm. You're pushing Bud right out of the investigation."

"Yeah, well Lynch could still be guilty." Harm said, sounding like the captain who was intent on going down with his sinking ship.

"Our theory is that the person in Jordan's date book killed her and that's not Lynch."

There was a few minutes of silence before Harm finally said, "She writes about not wanting to see him anymore–that is Lynch."

"Unless she broke up with two people."

It was hard to drop Lynch as a suspect but even Harm had to agree. Lynch wasn't their man, "Ah…what do you want to do now?" He finally asked.

"Regroup in the morning." Mac yawned tiredly. "And start with an open mind."

Later that night at Harm's apartment….

Harm was dog tired. So tired in fact that he could barely see straight. This whole Jordan mess was weighing heavily on him and all he wanted to do was be alone. Renee, however, had other ideas. He was lost in thought about Jordan when Renee's irritated voice cut in.

"Did you hear what I just said?" She asked.

Yes, she was clearly irritated and Harm hadn't heard a word. "Yup." He said trying to appease her.

"What was it?" She demanded.

Caught in his own lie, Harm didn't know what to say except for the truth. "I don't know." He groaned. "I'm sorry Renee; I'm a thousand miles away. Just let me get through this. Ok." He pleaded. "I'll make it up to you."

"Do you ever get over things?" Renee asked, clearly pissed by this point.

"Eventually." Harm sighed.

"What about your father?" Renee argued.

God, he didn't feel like arguing, "That's resolved, Renee."

"Until next Christmas when you re-visit the wall. How about your flying career? When are your quals?"

"Two weeks." Harm sighed. "And, don't mention that to Mac, okay?"

"How about Jordan?" Renee demanded. "Why did you guys break up?"

Harm stared across the room at the far wall. If he had a headache before it had grown into a full-fledged migraine. The last thing he wanted was to be interrogated by Renee, "Jordan broke up with me." He finally said as he reached down and picked up beer he'd been drinking. "When I got back from sea duty I wanted to pick things up where they left off–she didn't think that I could commit and she didn't want to get pulled back in."

"Pull me in, Harm." Renee pleaded, truly exasperated by this point.

"I just did that, Renee."

"No." Renee shook her head. "You've made gestures. Do you know I still don't even know what drives you? You share all these stories about your family members but never yourself. It would be helpful to know how you grew into the person that you are."

Harm rubbed his temples, "I don't have that kind of inside on myself. Renee." He replied truthfully.

"Tell me about your childhood. Did you were braces? Did you cause a lot of trouble? Did you have any imaginary friends?"

Harm stood up and walked into the kitchen where he placed his beer bottle on the counter, "Renee, I'm just really tired right now. I can't even think straight–sorry."

"I'm going home!" Renee said with a stamp of her foot.

Harm sighed as he walked over to where she had grabbed her coat and was busy putting it on, "Just give me a week, Okay!" He pleaded once more.

Renee grabbed her purse and walked over to the door. Before she left she turned to face Harm, "Am I going to have to die for you to commit to me?" She asked.

Before Harm could, answer she pulled opened the door and walked out. Harm didn't have the energy to chase after her. Hell, he barely had the energy to toss his empty beer bottle in the trash before making his way up to his bedroom.

The next morning Harm woke up. He had slept through the night but for whatever reason he still didn't feel rested. While he dressed for work, he tried to remember the last time he'd gone out for a run. God, he hated it when people close to him passed away. After he had showered and dressed, he ate a tasteless bowl of oatmeal before heading off to work.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

Disclaimer: I do not own the JAG characters nor do I receive any money for doing this.

JAG Headquarters

Harm had barely stepped off the elevator when he ran into Mac and Teresa.

"Harm, you have to hear this." Mac said excitedly.

Teresa held up the report she had just received, "I just got back the results on the animal blood. I tested for dog and cat. It came up dog."

"What does that mean?" Harm asked, leading the small group towards his office.

"It means that there was a dog in Jordan's quarters on the night of her death."

"There was one in the opposite unit." Mac added.

"That's right." Harm agreed as he placed his cover and briefcase on top of his desk.

"Let's find out if it was injured." Teresa said, excited now that they had a tangible lead.

"Let me grab a cup of coffee and then we can drive over there and see." Harm said, once more reaching for his cover.

While Harm got his coffee, Mac commandeered a car and the three of them drove over to Quantico to revisit Mrs. Maples.

Maples Residence

"Mr. Lynch didn't visit Commander Parker on the night before she died. He was in St. Louis." Harm stated.

Mrs. Maples gave him a look of relief as she sat in her chair petting her dog,"Thank God-Oh, I genuinely liked him."

"You didn't see him?" Teresa asked.

"No, I guess not." She agreed. "I'm very sorry. I spent most of the year in the hospital. I don't think I'm quite with it yet. So I hope I didn't waste your time."

"Hey, there…" Teresa said as she reached out to pet the dog only to get snapped at.

"He can get a little feisty." Mrs. Maples warned indicating the dog.

Teresa took note of the abrasion on the dogs leg, "Looks like he's got something going on there." She said indicating the spot that was red and looked as if it had been recently bleeding."

"He has a skin infection." Mrs. Maples agreed.

"He's been scratching it." Teresa added.

"Yeah, I'm afraid it's time to put him in one of those collars. He'll hate it." She replied sadly.

"So, when you say you weren't quiet with it Mrs. Maples, are you saying you saw somebody else that night." Harm sated.

"I didn't see anyone."

Harm drew in a breath. They were so close he could feel it. "Really, I was under the impression that you'd seen somebody."

Jenny Maples looked from Harm, to Teresa, and then back to Mac, "Look, I was confused." She finally stated, her voice starting to crack.

"Or you are protecting somebody."

"Where was your husband that night?" Mac asked

A frightened look crossed Jenny's face as she began to faultier, "Here…in the…he takes care of me."

"He didn't leave at some point that evening?" Harm asked.

Mrs. Maples shook her head no, "No, maybe, I don't know." She said, close to tears by this point.

"Which is it, ma'am?" Harm demanded.

"Did Lt. Colonel Maples visit Commander Parker that night? Mac asked, looking for some sort of clarification.

Harm turned towards the colonel and addressed him, "Colonel were you having an affair with Lt. Commander Parker?" He asked

"What the hell are you talking about?" The colonel asked as he reached over to take the dog from his wife's arms.

"We know you were with Jordan before she died." Mac interjected.

"We have a witness, Colonel." Harm added after Maples had taken too long to answer.

"Yes." The colonel finally conceded. "I was in her quarters but we weren't having an affair." The colonel finally conceded.

"Then why were you there?" Mac asked.

"I was seeing her for counseling. I went 2 to 3 times a week. It was informal–we would talk in her living room."

"What about?" Harm asked.

"My wife, she's unstable. Capable of irrational even violent behavior. In and out of institutions over the last eight years. It's becoming increasingly difficult for me. I was discussing putting her away permanently. Obviously, I didn't want her to know about this so I would visit Commander Parker after Jenny had gone to bed. Who was it that saw me in her quarters?"

Everyone looked in the direction of Jenny Maples.

"Oh dear God….." Peter Maples whispered as it dawned on him who the real killer was.

"Frank needed to go out…" Jenny explained as she nervously picked at a blanket that had been placed over her lap. "He kept scratching at the bed until he woke me up. So I took him outside. As I was heading back, I saw Peter heading out of Jordan's quarters, when he went to the bathroom I snuck back into bed."

"Did you confront him?" Mac asked.

"I hadn't been much of a wife. I've been sick ya-know….but I understood that he might have…." She hesitated for a moment as she tried to come up with the right word. "Impulses." She finally said.

"How did you feel about Commander Parker?" Mac asked.

Jenny sighed, "Less sympathetic."

It was apparent she was aware that her husband had needs but was not happy about who she preserved him to be satisfying those needs with.

"Did you visit her?" Mac asked.

Jenny nodded her head yes, "The next night. When Peter was out doing the laundry. I went over there…she answered the door, said hello. I said….I was so upset to answer that and I…this frightened her because…anyway, she said that she was busy. She couldn't talk to me just then and I remember thinking, you need to make it very clear how you feel."

"What did you do?" Mac asked.

"I pushed my way in."

"Did she react?" Mac asked a note of disbelief in her voice.

"She tried to calm me down at first but I felt so familiar with those tactics. I slapped her and I think that's when she went to her drawer and got her gun. She told me to leave."

"Did you take the gun from her?" Mac asked.

"No." Jenny replied sadly. "Fred ran in and started barking. I think it startled her because she fell back into the chair. Dropped the gun right there by her feet. I picked it up and held it to her chest. This was to warn her. It went off and I let go of it. I just didn't know what to do so I left. I just…"

Not believing what he was hearing Peter Maples sunk down onto a vacant chair. Teresa stayed with Jenny while Harm made a call to the MP's. She was arrested for Jordan's murder. She was admitted to a mental institution for the criminally insane, where she would spend the rest of her life or until she was deemed not be a threat to herself or those around her.

One week later….

1630 Local time

North of Union Station

Harm checked his mail and found a letter post marked from Jordan. It had apparently gotten lost and had taken it's time getting there. He slowly opened the letter and read…

_Harm,_

_I left a message on your machine today but then I thought you'd probably moved on and didn't want to call me back. So I'm sending you this note. Even after I left I have to admit I remained in conflict about you. Until this morning. I woke with a sense that our relationship was not lost opportunity, but a gift. I'm a better person for having known you and I hope you feel the same way about me. I've been seeing someone but feel the need to be with myself for a time. This is a good thing. I don't know what choices you've made but I can only hope that you are embracing them with the same confidence._

_My best wishes always,_

_Love_

_Jordan_

Harm sunk down on the couch as the emotions he hadn't realized he'd been holding in came pouring out. He realized for the first time just how much he had been ignoring Renee of late. He wouldn't blame her if she up and decided to end it with him. A part of him wanted to continue with her in his life. It was easy with her, she filled up a void left by… he didn't want to think about Mac. As long as Mac remained in his life, he didn't think he'd be able to fully commit to Renee. At least not the way she wanted him to. The same could be said for Jordan and every other woman in his life, since he'd first met Mac and it was obvious that she was moving on without him–could he do the same? He had no answer for that particular question–did he have a choice? Was there a way he could change Mac's mind. Get her to say no to Brumby and yes to him. There was a time when he would have answered yes to those questions but now he wasn't so sure.

He picked up the phone and dialed Renee's number.

"Hey." He said as soon as she picked up.

"What's up, Harm?" Renee asked.

"I was wondering if you were up to watching a move with me."

Rene sighed, "The movie is already gone, Harm."

"I wasn't talking about that movie. I have a different movie in mind."

They talked for a few minutes more. Before they hung up Renee agreed to come over.

While he waited for Renee to get there, he put the letter from Jordan in his desk for safe keeping. He pulled out a couple of old movie reals and the old projector that his mother had sent. He then set about popping up a big bowl of popcorn for them to eat. As soon as Renee arrived, Harm started the home movies…there would never be a time when he would be able to fully commit to Renee. Not as long as Mac remained in the fabric of his life. She may not know it but Mac had his heart. If she wanted Brumby, he wouldn't stand in her way.

Renee wasn't Mac, they were not even in the same league, but the relationship he had with Renee was comfortable…easy even. If it made Renee happy, he was happy to show her a little insight into what made him…him. If only it was that easy with Mac.


End file.
